Learn ASL in 31 Days: Day 24:: Sentence Structure

OK. So ... we're gonna do sentence order.

And, um, as you know, Sign Language
isn't just ...

going along with English. Sign Language,

American Sign Language,
is its own language, OK?

And so therefore it would have
its own grammar rules.

So for your sentences, there's two different
ways you can order your sentences.

The first one is time plus topic
plus comment,

and the second one is just
topic plus comment.

So you go in that order: time, topic, and
then your comment about that topic.

So I'll give you an example:
so in English I would say,

I'm going to the store.

In SIgn Language I would say,
Store, go, I. OK?

Or you could say I, store go I,
and that's topic, comment.

The topic is store, what's the comment?
I'm going.

And I say I because that's me, it's not
her, it's not Dad, it's not ... whatever.

It's me. So, Store go I. Or if you want to
emphasize, you go, I store go I. 'Kay?

Another example is, an English sentence:
I enjoy reading.

So you put your topic first, so the topic
would be reading, so Read.

I enjoy is your comment.
[baby can be heard cooing in background]

'Kay? Um ... OK, so now we'll do time
plus topic plus comment.

So here's an English sentence:
She's going to the hospital tomorrow.

So your time would be tomorrow,
and your topic would be hospital,

and your comment is she go.

So, all together you go, Tomorrow
hospital she go.

Another way you can do it, um,
a lot of times in ASL,

if we want to emphasize a point,
we'll repeat that sign,

sort of like how we did I store go I,
or She store go she.

Um, if you want to emphasize the time --
so, Tomorrow hospital she go will.

And a lot of times, um, and I know
we've talked about this throughout,

and later on after the 31 Day series
is over

I'll be doing more videos about facial
expressions and your body language

that accompany the signs,
because those are vital, OK?

A lot of times you'll see people nodding
to emphasize a point.

Like when I did Read I enjoy:
Read -- I enjoy.

I'm nodding, slight smile,
Read I enjoy.

Tomorrow she wa --
I'm messin' it up.

Tomorrow hospital she go will.

See, I'm nodding to confirm.
She's gonna go, OK?

Um, let's see. Another English sentence
for time-topic-comment:

Uh, let's see. We went dancing last night.

So the time is last night,
the topic is dancing,

and then the comment is,
we went, right?

So we -- so let's just say, us three.
Me and my two friends went.

We finish go. And finish is how
you make things past tense as well.

So you finish jump, y'know, for jumped.
So finish go is went.

And also, I mean you could, technically
you could just say,

Last night dancing we three go,
and that would be correct.

To emphasize that you already did it,
you would go,

Last night dancing we three finish go.

And you don't go FINISH like
you're a child or whatever.

Finish go. Real quick. OK?

Um, so I'll review those real quick.

So we'll do the topic-comment
sentences first,

and then I'll do the time-topic-comment
sentences, and then on my blog --

the link will be down in the description
and I'll probably have it on the video too

-- but I'll have a post that accompanies
this that explains it a little bit more,

and will give you some practice sentences,

so you can practice converting sentences
from English into Sign Language,

and then Sign Language sentences
into English sentences,

so that you can kind of, um,
become more comfortable with that.

And we'll go over this with time, OK?

So here, let's do review sentences to see
if you remember what I'm saying, OK?

OK! That was a fast, quick, short lesson.

So remember, go to the post --
there's a link --

and you'll get more practice sentences
because you'll need to practice.

It's definitely kind of tricky to get
your head wrapped around

changing from English order to
American Sign Language order.

And the fun thing is, is you don't have to
do the ams and the to bes,

and the haves and stuff.
All that's much more simple, OK?

So you don't go I am going to the store.

That's Signed Exact English, SEE,
which is a whole 'nother topic,

but you don't have to sign that in
Sign Language, which is lovely.

You just say Store go I. Very nice. OK.

So, I'll see you next time for Day 25!
It'll be fun! See ya!